State Dinner
by Writer25
Summary: Sam wins an essay contest and gets two tickets to a fancy state dinner and decides to take a chance and ask Fina to go with me. A little oneshot challenge from A.I.T. Takes place after Boys in the Tower


**A/N- So A.I.T challenged me do a oneshot in which two characters of my choice who don't interact much in my stories go out on a date and build some chemistry between them. Hope you enjoy**

Sam was sometimes uncomfortable with social situations in the best of times. And that was when Fred and Joe were around to help buffer the conversation. When he was by himself, though Sam found things a little more difficult. Around other science fiction, math, or history enthusiasts he was in his element though sometimes even they took things a little too seriously. Around everyone else though, well let's just say that people get a little tired of hearing about theories against Einstein's theory of relativity after about five minutes. So when he entered and won that political theory essay contest and found out that the prize was a fancy state dinner, he was more than a little nervous. The senators, professors, and deans were one thing; adults were usually easily impressed by his extensive vocabulary and knowledge. No, it was their children and the students from the private schools that scared him. In terms of intelligence they were usually on par with him if not exceeding him and in terms of class, well , let's just say that next to them he felt like Fred.

So he sat in the public library staring at his two tickets and wondered who he was going to take. Grandpa Dema? No. He might embarrass Sam with long winded stories about the old country or something. His mom? Taking his own mother be more than embarrassing. Besides, his mom would probably be up all night trying to finish her latest article. He was debating whether or not it would be too weird to ask Joe to go with him when he noticed a familiar face at a table across from his.

Fina was looking between a magazine and a large thick book and looked incredible confused. Every now and then she jotted something down in a notebook and bit the end of her pencil anxiously. Sam smiled to himself, gathered his stuff, and walked over to join her table.

"Need some help?" Sam whispered. "You seem like you're studying really hard."

Fina looked up at him in surprise and he could see that her eyes were wet like she had just finished crying.

"Hey," Sam eyed her in concern. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Fina lifted her hand and gingerly touched her face.

She wiped her eyes vigorously with the back of her hand and smiled at him. "Sorry, Joe got mad at me again and it's kinda just a nervous reaction. I'm alright though."

"Oh," Sam said. "What did he get mad at you about?"

Fina blushed and looked down embarrassed. "I took one of his mom's drapes and sewed it into a new dress for myself."

Sam burst out laughing without meaning to and earned a impatient _ssshh_ from a librarian. He quickly tried to smother the rest of his laughter and found that Fina was doing the same.

"So what are you reading about?" He whispered.

Fina sighed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ears. "_The Young Lady Guide to Etiquette _and Seventeen Magazine. It's been a while since I've been in modern American society and I need to brush up so Joe doesn't get mad at me again."

"He just has to get used to you," Sam shrugged. "None of us are really used to talking to cute girls. Except Fred I guess, but it more annoys him more than anything. Which I always thought was weird."

Sam stopped suddenly realizing that he had been babbling again and saw that Fina was smiling at him with a small blush on her face.

"You think I'm cute?" She whispered.

"Um," Sam felt his face heat up and he looked away. "Y-yeah, I guess. Kinda. I mean yeah..."

Sam looked back at her nervously and hoped he didn't sound too much like a total loser. Fina was smiling at him though, so he guessed he didn't sound too lame.

"So," he whispered. "I have these two tickets to a state dinner...and I was sorta wondering if, um... if you like to go with me?"

Fina's pressed her lips together and looked away making Sam's smile drop off his face. His face flushed in total embarrassment. Well if that didn't prove he was a total loser he didn't know what would.

"I am so so sorry," he said quickly gathering up his things. "I-I-I just thought it'd be fun to go together. I mean we don't really talk much but-"

"Wait," Fina interrupted laying a soft hand on his arm. "I would love to go with you-"

"Y-you would?"

"-but I'm just nervous about being around other people," She gave him a small smile. "I'm still getting use to being around you guys. I think I'd feel really awkward around other people."

"Yeah me too," Sam gave a small chuckle. "You want to go and be awkward together? Help me get through it maybe? It might be good etiquette practice."

"Okay," Fina smiled. "If it's okay with Joe that is."

"Cool," Sam ripped a page out his notebook and wrote down his address. "The limo's gonna come to my house around 7:45pm. So I guess I'll see you around then?"

"Uh huh," Fina nodded and smiled. "It's a date. I learned that from Seventeen Magazine."

XXXX

"I don't believe it,"Sam sang to himself as he practically danced around in his room. "I have a date. I actually have a date! With an actual cute girl."

Sam layed on his bed and ran his hands over his face, still not quite believing that this was actually happening to him. Even though he knew he was a nerd he also knew that he wasn't a total loss. He knew that eventually he would get a girlfriend and eventually a wife (Samantha was proof of that). Sam figured though that who ever his first girlfriend was would be a lot more nerdy looking and not as effervescent and pretty like Fina was.

So it was more than reasonable that he was more than a little nervous. He tried to distract himself by reading or working on some more blue prints and the next thing he knew it was 7:00 pm and he hoped into the shower and put on the tuxedo his mom rented for him. He was nervously adjusted his bow tie for the third time when he heard the door bell ring.

"I got it!" He yelled and raced to open the door for Fina. "Fred, what are you doing here?"

"Better question," Fred frowned. "Why are you wearing a suit?"

"I'm going to a state dinner," Sam sighed. "Remember that essay contest that I tried to get you guys to enter? This was the prize. Can you go now please? I'm going to be leaving soon and I'm kinda expecting someone."

"Expecting someone?" Fred laughed and stepped inside. "Like who? A girl?"

Sam sighed in exasperation and closed the door. "Yes. As a matter of fact I am."

"No way," Fred laughed. "No freaking way. Who is it? Oh, wait let me guess. It's Vicky right? That really tall pimply girl in our English class? I always did think she had a thing for you, dude."

"It isn't Vicky," Sam said a bit indignantly. "It's someone else."

"Pfft, who else could it be? She's the only one I know who's as nerdy as you?"

The doorbell rang before Sam could answer and Fred stood up to answer it with Sam close behind. Fred opened the door still laughing and both his and Sam's jaws dropped. Whatever Fina did to Joe's mom's curtains was amazing because it now draped over her lithe body in gentle waves of elegant fabric. Her long blond, braid was let and thrown over her shoulder and pinned with an arrangement of flowers. She smiled at them and bit her lip nervously.

"Hey, Fred. Hey Sam. Do I look okay?" She asked wringing her hands together.

Fred stared at her breathlessly. "You look-"

"Amazing." Sam finished and stepped forward to grab her hand. "Absolutely amazing."

"She's your-" Fred cleared his throat and shoved his hands deep into his pocket. "Well, um, I gotta get going. There's this movie I've been dying to see and it starts pretty soon."

"Have fun." Sam nodded and he led Fina downstairs and to the waiting limo.

Fina gave a gasp of surprise and her eyes went wide in wonder. Sam chuckled and held the door open for her trying the gentleman approach. She didn't seem to take notice of it though because she was too busy marveling at the lush interior of the limo. Sam just smiled patiently though and let her play with all the buttons.

They walked into the ballroom together with Fina's arm looped through his and he felt really proud to be walking in with her. A waiter lead them over to their table and they were seated with students from prestigious private schools and just as Sam predicted he felt completely awkward around them. Everyone around them were chatting their father the lawyer or their mother the dean of a college and the wing they were dedicating to their choice school.

"See?" Sam whispered to Fina. "I told you that it'd be awkward to be around these people."

"Oh, you aren't even trying." Fina rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go mingle."

She pulled Sam out of his seat and on to the ballroom floor to talk to people. The first cluster of people she dragged him to were a group of kids their age. He had no doubt in his mind that the necklaces the girls were wearing were probably real.

"Hello," Fina said with a small inclination of her head. "My name is Fina and this is Sam. What are your names?"

The kids exchanged looks with each other, probably surprised with her boldness and one girl smiled at her. "How do you do? My name is Leona, this is my boyfriend Maxwell, and these are my associates Noelle and Reuben."

"Say, I haven't seen you two around before." Noelle said looking them up and down. "Which academy do you two go to?"

"Um, we don't go to any academy," Sam answered already feeling embarrassed. "I go to P.S. 109."

"Oh," Noelle smirked. "Public school. How...exciting."

Sam felt his face heat up and started to back away but Fina held his arm tightly.

"What school do you go to Noelle?" She asked sweetly.

"Leona and I go to finishing school up north," She said proudly. "I'm studying catering and Leona is studying etiquette."

"Yeah, that sounds like a real education," Sam scoffed under his breath. "I bet you two get into a great college."

Fina discreetly pinched his arm making him yelp in pain.

"That sounds fascinating," Fina nodded. "If you'll excuse us for a minute..."

Sam sighed in relief and earned another small pinch from Fina.

"Ow!" Sam jumped. "What the heck was that for?"

"Why are you being so snipey?" She giggled. "Just make conversation. No need to judge their life choices."

Sam's frown dissolved into a smile and he shrugged. "Yeah I guess so."

Fina lead him to another group of people and suggested that he should try taking more about himself and anything interesting he might know. That plan failed almost completely. While at first people seemed interested in what he had to say, he had the unfortunate curse of not knowing when to shut up. Whenever Fina sensed that the people they were talking to were getting bored she successfully steered the conversation away from Sam and onto the kids they were talking to. Sam would then become bored with their endless talk about how rich they were and all the wealthy people they knew, and drop out of the conversation altogether. Fina would then notice that he was uncomfortable he was and drag him to a new set of people. They repeated the cycle about two or three more times until dinner was finally served and the speeches began.

"Hey, Fina," Sam whispered to her touching her hand.

"Hmm?"

"Next time we go out we should do something with just the two of us," he mumbled. "Socializing with society kids is, horrible isn't it?"

"Really?" Fina blinked at him blankly. "I kinda like it. Besides, how can I help you socialize if we're alone?"

"Help me socialize?" It was Sam's turn to look confused.

"Yes. Help you socialize and practice my etiquette skills that's why you invited me isn't it?"

Sam felt his face heat up and he had trouble looking her in the eye. "Um, y-yeah. Of course. W-why else?"

He heard Fina gasp and saw that her mouth was a little "O" of surprise.

"Oh." She said quietly.

"It's fine." Sam said quickly hoping that she wouldn't start crying. "I'm still really glad I invited you. It was fun and your really fun to talk to and-"

He stopped short when she gently laid her hand on top of his.

"Sshh," she said gently. "You're rambling again."

"Sorry," he said quickly.

He and Fina looked at each other and started chuckling quietly earning weird looks from some of the kids around them.

XXXX

The limo ride home was really quiet with a small touch of awkwardness. The limo slowed to a stop in front of Joe's house and Sam thought he could see a lamp light on in Joe's room. He walked Fina to the steps of the porch where they stood silently for a moment.

"Well," Sam said slowly. "that was... actually not that bad."

"Mmhm," Fina nodded. "I thought everything went well."

"Yeah," Sam chuckled. "Especially the part when I thought it was a date but it wasn't."

Fina giggled and Sam thought that it was the cutest sound that he had ever heard. He stopped breathing when she laid her hands on his shoulders and leaned up on her tiptoes her their faces were close together.

"If it was a date though," she whispered. "I would say that you were the absolute sweetest guy I ever dated."

"R-really?" Sam barely dared to breath.

For an answer Fina gave him a breath taking smile, leaned up even closer to him, and pressed her lips against the corner of his mouth. She then moved toward the front door, threw him another smile and a wink, and went inside.

Sam stared after her for a second and lifted a trembling hand to his mouth, grinning like an idiot. Even if it wasn't a date, he still got his first kiss. By a really cute girl.

**A/N- This was pretty fun and interesting to write. But I wondering if my ending was kinda cheating. Anyways, review!**


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